Nesting socket wrench



sept 27, 1966 J. J. sWEl-:NEY ETAL 3,274,865

NESTING SOCKET WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 7 1965 SeP'- 27, 1966 J. J. SWEENEY ETAL 3,274,865

NESTING SOCKET WRENCH 2 Sheetsheet 2 Filed May 7, 1965 @me g/S United States Patent O 3,274,865 NESTING SOCKET WRENCH Joseph J. Sweeney, 714 E. Rockwell, Arlington Heights, Ill., and Michael M. Egan, Jr., 8045 N. Kostner Ave., Skokie, Ill.

Filed May 7, 1965, Ser. No. 453,958 7 Claims. (Cl. 81-185) This invention relates to a unitary ysocket wrench adapted to -be used with nuts, bolts and the like of various sizes.

Numerous unitary socket wrenches have been devised, however, each of them has been generally unsatisfactory, for one reason or other. For example, a number of these wrenches are constructed in a fashion such that they cannot be used to piace, or remove, a nut from a bolt if the bolt extends any length through the nut. Also, the wrenches are generally complicated in design and construction and, for this reason, are diflicult to assemble. In view of the latter, they are also relatively expensive.

It is therefore an object of this -invention to provide a new and improved unitary socket wrench which is adapted to be used with nuts, bolts and the like of various sizes.

It is another object of this invention to provide a unitary socket `wrench which is simple in construction, compact in design and durable in operation.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a unitary socket wrench which is constructed in a fashion such that it may be easily and rapidly assembled. For this reason, the unitary socket wrench of the invention may be assembled relatively inexpensively, when compared to the assembled cost of similar wrenches.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The above outlined objectives are accomplished with the unitary socket wrench of the present invention which may be generally described as having a number of nested sockets, which may have `any number of sides. Two or more of the sides, at one end of each of the sockets, are flared outwardly so as to form a shoulder or stop. These shoulders serve a dual function of retaining the sockets nested within one another in an assembly and orf providing spring engaging surfaces for respective -ones of a number of springs. The springs each have different diameters and are concentrically arranged within one another and are further adapted to engage the shoulder formed -on the ends of respective ones of the sockets. The centermost socket is provided with a recessed end cap which is adapted to retain its associated spring. With the above described construction, the unitary socket wrench can be easily and quickly assembled since the sockets are retained nested withinone another without the necessity of additional retaining means and the like which require time to assemble. Further savings in time, and also in manufacturing, are also realized, as will be apparent from the description which follows.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplied in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims,

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a unitary socket wrench exemplary of the present invention, and illustrates how it may be used to place, or remove, nuts from a bolt of varying sizes and lengths;

FIGURE 2 4is a side plan view of the unitary socket wrench of FIG. l;

Fice 'i FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is an end View of the unitary socket wrench of FIG. l;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5 5 of FIG. 3;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6 6 of FIG. 3;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of the socket portion of the unitary socket wrench of FIG. l; and

FIGURE 8 is a partial sectional view illustrating how the unitary socket wrench can be used to place, or remove, a nut from a bolt which extends a considerable distance through the nut.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a unitary socket wrench 10 exemplary of the present invention which has a handle portion 11 and a socket portion 12 which is adapted to place, or remove, nuts, bolts and the like of various sizes, such as the nuts 14 and bolts 16. It may be noted that the bolts 15 can extend a considerable length through the nuts 14, without interfering with the operation of the wrench 10, as explained more fully hereinafter.

The socket portion 12 of the wrench 10, as can be best seen in FIG. 7, includes three six-sided Isockets 18, 19 and 20 `which are progressively larger in size so that they will nest within one another and are free to slide transversely therein. Three of the sides on each of the sockets 19 and 20 are cut and ared outwardly to form shoulders or stops 21 and 22 on the sockets 19 and Ztl, respectively. When the socket 19 is slipped into the socket 20, the socket 19 is positioned so that the shoulders 21 thereon are offset with respect to the shoulders 22 on the socket 20, as shown in FIG. 6. When so arranged, the shoulders 21 on the socket 19 engage the ends of the side walls of the .socket 20. A plug 2li has a stud portion 26 which is adapted to be press fitted into the socket 13 and an enlarged portion 23 which has a spring retaining recess 29 (FIG. 3) formed therein. When the plug 24 is press fitted into the socket 18 the enlarged portion 28 engages the ends of the side walls of the socket 19 in much the same manner as the shoulders 21 on the socket 19 engage the ends of the side walls of the socket 20.

A cylindrical shaped socket 30 has a six-sided socket cavity 31 formed therethrough which is substantially the size of the outer dimensions of the socket 2l) so that the socket 20 can slide longitudinally therein. The socket 30 is adapted to be press iitted into a cylindrical shaped socket retaining member 32. An aperture 34 is formed completely through the member 32 and is adapted to receive a pin 36, for reasons to be explained.

In referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the enlarged port-ion 28 and the shoulders 21 and 22 are adapted to engage the respective adjacent socket so that the ends of the sockets 18-20 and the end of the socket 30! correspond, when the same are nested within one another.

A solid cylindrical shaped spring retaining member 38 is adapted to be slip fitted into the end of the socket retaining member 32, with its end flush with the end of the socket retaining member 32. The spring retaining member 38 is retained therein by means of the pin 3h which is passed through an aperture 3-9 formed therein and the aperture 34 formed in the socket retaining member 32. The spring retaining member 38 also has two concentrically positioned recessed cavities 4t) and 41 formed therein which substantially correspond in diameter to the diameters of a pair of springs d2 and 44, respective-ly. The outer diameter of the spring retaining member 38 substantially corresponds to the diameter of a spring 45. In assembling the socket portion 12, the springs 42, 44 and 4'5 are arranged concent-rically within one another and the springs 42 and 44 seated within the respective cavities 40 and 41 in the spring retaining member 38. The spring retaining member 38 is then slip fitted into the socket retaining member `32 and secured therein by means of the pin 36. As can be best seen in FIG. 3, the spring 42 seats in the recess 40 formed in the spring retaining member 3S and the recess 29 formed in the plug 24. The spring 44 engages the bottom wall of the recess 41 formed in the spring retaining member 38 and the shoulders Z1 formed on the socket 19. The spring 45 engages the end of the spring retaining member `355 and the shoulders 22 formed on the socket 20. It can therefore be seen that the springs d2, 44 and @5 forcibly urge the sockets 13-20, respectively, outwardly towards the end of the socket 30 so that they are normally positioned as shown in lFIG. y3. tA circular-shaped plug 46 having a reduced diameter portion 47 and an aperture 48 formed therein which extends transversely through its length, is pressed :fitted into the end of a hollow cylindrical shaped roller 49. The roller i419 is suiciently large to freely receive the socket retaining member 32 therein, with the latter being engaged with the end of the plug 46. A shaft 50 having `off-set stakes '511 thereon is then passed through the aperture 4'8, which is substantially larger in diameter than the shaft 50 so that the plug 46 will rotate on the shaft 50, and its end is press fitted into a correspondingly shaped aperture 52 formed in the end of the spring retaining member 38, as can be best seen in FIG. 3. The shaft `50 is stake itted in the handle 11, as can be best seen in lFIG. 3. With this arrangement, the roller 49 can be held in a fixed position and the handle and the socket portion `12 rotated within the roller 49. The plug 46 rotates with the roller 49 since it is press fitted into its end.

To operate the wrench 10, the socket portion 12 is placed over a nut, or bolt, and a light force is exerted against it as it is rotated so that the nut will seat within the proper `size socket 18-20 or 30. Assuming that the nut corresponds in size to the socket 19, the socket 18 will be pushed inwardly, against its associated spring 42, until the nut is deeply seated within the socket 19, as shown in FIG. 8. By gripping the roller 49 and urging the wrench -10 against the nut to keep it retained within the socket 19, the wrench can be rotated within the roller 49, by its handle portion 11 to lremove or replace the nut. In case of nuts or bolts which correspond in size with respective ones of the other sockets, the action or operation is the same, all of the sockets except the proper sized one being pushed inwardly against its associated spring.

It may be further noted that bolts which extend a substantial distance through nuts do not interfere with the proper operation of the wrench "10 since the interior-of the socket 18 is not obstructed and it is relatively long in length. Therefore, so long as the end of the bolt is able to pass through the socket 18, it will not interfere with the operation of the wrench 10. In one particular commercial embodiment,A the socket 18 is approximately 17/s in length and a bolt can therefore extend approximately that length through a nut before it will interfere with the operation of the wrench.

From the above detailed description of the unitary wrench 10 it is apparent that it can be easily and rapidly assembled since no additional spring retaining means are required. Also, most of the parts are press fitted within one another and only one retaining pin is required to keep the wrench in assembled condition. The construction is therefore relatively simple. In addition, its design is compact and it is durable in operation and may be used to remove, or place, nuts, bolts and the like of various sizes. The wrench is also adapted to be used with bolts which extend a considerable length through an associated nut.

It will thus be seen lthat the objects set forth above,

lamong those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsy shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and speci-'fic features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A unitary socket wrench having a handle portion and a socket portion, said socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets, the intermediate ones of said sockets having the ends of one or more of the side walls thereof bent outwardly to form a shoulder thereon for retaining said sockets within one another, riirst means secured to the innermost one of said sockets having a spring receiving cavity formed therein; a generally tubular shaped member; the oute-rmost one of said sockets being adapted to one end of said generally tubular shaped member; second means adapted to the opposite end of said generally tubular shaped member and having a plurality of concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed therein which have diameters which substantially correspond to the diameters of predetermined ones of said springs; said plurality of spring being retained within said generally tubular shaped member with the ends of one of said plurality of springs being engaged in said spring receiving cavities formed in said first and second means; the ends of the intermediate ones of said springs being engaged in respective ones of said concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed in said second means and with said shoulders formed on respective ones of said sockets; and the ends of the outermost one of said springs being engaged with the end edge of said second means and the inner end edge of the outermost socket.

2. A unitary socket wrench having a handle portion and a socket portion, said socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets, the intermediate ones of said sockets having the ends of one or more of the side walls thereof bent outwardly to form a shoulder thereon for retaining said sockets within one another, said shoulders being adapted to engage the ends lof the side walls of the adjacent socket to space said sockets with the ends thereof in the same plane, first means secured to the innermost one of said sockets having an enlarged diameter portion which is adapted to engage the ends of the side walls of the adjacent intermediate socket to space it in the same fashion and having a spring receiving cavity formed therein; a generally tubular shaped member; the outermost one of said sockets being adapted to one end of said generally tubular shaped member; second means adapted to the opposite end of said generally tubular shaped member and having a plurality of concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed therein which have diameters which substantially correspond to the diameters of predetermined one of said springs; said plurality of springs being enclosed within said generally tubular shaped member with the ends of one of said plurality of springs being engaged in said spring receiving cavities formed in said first and second means; the ends of the intermediate ones of said springs being engaged in respective ones of said concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed in said second means and with said shoulders formed on respective ones of said sockets; and the ends of the outermost one of said springs being engaged with the end edge of said second means and the inner end edge of the outermost socket.

3. A unitary socket wrench having a handle portion and a socket portion, said socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets, the intermediate ones of said sockets having the ends of one or more of the side walls thereof bent outwardly to form a shoulder thereon for retaining said sockets within one another, first means secured to the innermost one of said sockets having a spring receiving cavity formed therein; a generally tubular shaped member; the outermost one of said sockets being adapted to one end of said generally tubular shaped member; second means adapted to the opposite end of said generally tubular shaped member and having a plurality of concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed therein which have diameters which substantially correspond to the diameters of predetermined ones of said springs; said plurality of springs being enclosed within said generally tubular shaped member with the ends of one of said plurality of springs being engaged in said spring receiving cavities formed in said first and second means; the ends of the intermediate ones of said springs being engaged in respective ones of said concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed in said second means and with said shoulders formed on respective ones of said sockets; and the ends of the outermost one of said springs being engaged with the end edge of said second means and the inner end edge of the outermost socket; a handle shaft; plug means having an aperture extending centrally therethrough which is larger in diameter than the diameter of said handle shaft; roller means adapted to receive said generally tubular shaped member therein, said plug means being iixedly secured to said roller means and said handle shaft being fixedly secured to said second means, whereby said roller means can be held fixed and said handle portion and said socket portion rotated therein.

4. A unitary socket wrench having a socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets, the intermediate ones of said sockets having the ends of one or more of the side walls thereof bent outwardly to form a shoulder thereon for retaining said sockets within one another, said shoulders being adapted to engage the ends of the side walls of the adjacent socket to space said sockets with the ends thereof in the same plane, l:first means secured to the innermost one of said sockets having an enlarged diameter portion which is adapted to engage the ends of the side walls of the adjacent intermediate socket to space it in the same fashion and having a spring receiving cavity formed therein; a generally tubular shaped member; the outermost one of said sockets being press fitted into one end of said generally tubular shaped member; second means slip fitted into the opposite end of said generally tubular shaped member and having a plurality of concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed therein which have diameters which substantially correspond to the diameters of predetermined ones of said springs; said plurality of springs being enclosed within said generally tubular shaped member with the ends of said plurality of springs being engaged in said spring receiving cavities formed in said first and second means; the ends of the intermediate ones of said springs being engaged in respective ones of said concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed in said second means and with said shoulders formed on respective ones of said sockets; and the ends `of the outermost one of said springs being engaged with the end edge of said second means and the inner end edge of the outermost socket; and handle means adapted to said socket portion.

5. A unitary socket wrench having a handle portion and a socket portion, said socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets, the intermediate ones of said sockets having the ends of one or more of the side walls thereof bent outwardly to form a shoulder thereon for retaining said sockets within one another, rst means secured to the innermost one of said sockets having a cavity formed therein; said innermost one of said sockets `having an open interior for receiving the ends of bolts and the like; a generally tubular shaped member; the outermost one of said sockets being adapted to one end of said generally tubular shaped member; second means adapted to the opposite end of said generally tubular shaped member and having a plurality of concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed therein which have diameters which substantially correspond to the diameters of predetermined ones of said springs; said plurality of springs being retained within said generally tubular shaped member with the ends of one of said plurality of springs being engaged in said spring receiving cavities formed in said first and second means; the ends of the intermediate ones of said springs being engaged in respective ones of said concentrically positioned spring receiving cavities formed in said second means and with said shoulders formed on respective ones of said sockets; and the ends of the outermost one of said springs being engaged with the end edge of said second means and the inner end edge of the outermost socket.

6. A unitary socket wrench having a handle portion and a socket portion, said socket portion including a plurality of springs adapted to be concentrically arranged Within one another; a plurality of concentric, polygonally shaped nested sockets; first means secured to the innermost one yof said sockets having a spring receiving cavity formed therein; the outer ones of said sockets having the ends of the side Walls at one end thereof flared outwardly to form shoulders thereon for retaining said sockets within one another; a generally tubular shaped member having a socket retained cavity therein in one end portion thereof in which said nested sockets are disposed and having `stop means engaged by said shoulder on the outermost one of said nested `sockets for retaining said nested sockets therein said generally tubular shaped member having a spring receiving portion at the other end portion thereof; and second means at the end of said other end forming a support surface for said plurality of springs; said plurality of springs being retained within said cylindrical shaped member Vwith the ends of one of said springs urged against said support surface and engaged within said spring receiving cavity, and the ends of the other `ones of said springs being urged against said support surface and said shoulders formed on respective ones of said outer sockets.

7. The unitary socket wrench of claim 6 further including a shaft `aflixed to said second means for supporting said handle portion, and roller means rotatably anixed to said shaft having an enlarged diameter portion for receiving the end of said generally tubular shaped member therein, whereby said roller means can be held `fixed and said handle portion and said socket portion rotated therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,765 9/1886 Neal 145-61 1,110,969 9/1914 Stacy. 1,471,451 10/ 1923 Crimp 81-185 2,822,714 2/ 1958 Paparelli 81-185 X 2,875,660 3/1959 Svenson 81-18-5 13,127,797 4/ 1964 Rogers 81-185 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY SOCKET WRENCH HAVING A HANDLE PORTION AND A SOCKET PORTION, SAID SOCKET PORTION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPRINGS ADAPTED TO BE CONCENTRICALLY ARRANGED WITHIN ONE ANOTHER; A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRIC, POLYGONALLY SHAPED NESTED SOCKETS, THE INTERMEDIATE ONES OF SAID SOCKETS HAVING THE ENDS OF ONE OR MORE OF THE SIDE WALLS THEREOF BENT OUTWARDLY TO FROM A SHOULDER THEREON FOR RETAINING SAID SOCKETS WITHIN ONE ANOTHER, FIRST MEANS SECURED TO THE INNERMOST ONE OF SAID SOCKETS HAVING A SPRING RECEIVING CAVITY FORMED THEREIN; A GENERALLY TUBULAR SHAPED MEMBER; THE OUTERMOST ONE OF SAID SOCKETS BEING ADAPTED TO ONE END OF SAID GENERALLY TUBULAR SHAPED MEMBER; SECOND MEANS ADAPTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID GENERALLY TUBULAR SHAPED MEMBER AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF CONCENTRICALLY POSITIONED SPRING RECEIVING CAVITIES FORMED THEREIN WHICH HAVE DIAMETERS WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPOND TO THE DIAMETERS OF PREDETERMINED ONES OF SAID SPRINGS; SAID PLURALITY OF SPRING BEING RETAINED WITHIN SAID GENERALLY TUBULAR SHAPED MEMBER WITH THE ENDS OF ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF SPRINGS BEING ENGAGED IN SAID SPRING RECEIVING CAVITIES FORMED IN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEANS; THE ENDS OF THE INTERMEDIATE ONES OF SAID SPRINGS BEING ENGAGED IN RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID CONCENTRICALLY POSITIONED SPRING RECEIVING CAVITIES FORMED IN SAID SECOND MEANS AND WITH SAID SHOULDERS FORMED ON RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID SOCKETS; AND THE ENDS OF THE OUTERMOST ONE OF SAID SPRING BEING ENGAGED WITH THE END EDGE OF SAID SECOND MEANS AND THE INNER END EDGE OF THE OUTERMOST SOCKET. 